Secretary Blinken Makes First (Virtual) Trip to Africa

Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Nigeria to meet with a wide range of government officials and non-governmental experts to discuss key political, economic, and security issues on July 8, 2015. (Flickr)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first visit to the African continent from the comfort of his office on April 27. While Blinken did not physically travel to the continent, he did meet virtually with six different countries, including continental heavyweights Kenya and Nigeria, to discuss the Biden administration’s foreign policy objectives for the rapidly growing continent. 

Blinken began his trip at a ceremony celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI). The meeting, dubbed “10 questions with Tony,” provided an opportunity for alumni of the program to ask Secretary Blinken a wide range of questions about U.S. plans moving forward in the region. Blinken fielded questions from climate change to corruption management in the Democratic Republic of Congo and repeatedly underscored the importance of an American-African partnership, claiming, “Whether in fighting COVID-19, meeting the climate crisis, building a sustainable and inclusive global economy, or dealing with any of the other challenges we face today, we are all in this together.”

After his meeting with YALI, Secretary Blinken ventured to West Africa for a dialogue with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. The talks centered around increased violence, particularly from Boko Haram in the Islamic State West Africa Province of Northern Nigeria as well as the potential for bolstered multilateral defense partnerships. In a departure from previous administrations, Buhari called on Blinken to reconsider the location of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) now headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Buhari reportedly told Blinken that, “considering the growing security challenges in West and Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region and the Sahel, weighing heavily on Africa, it underscores the need for the United States to consider relocating AFRICOM headquarters… near the theatre of operation.” 

Finally, Binken visited Kenya where he held talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenya presented a rare source of continuity between the Biden and Trump administrations’ objectives within the country. The discussions largely focused on the development of the U.S.-Kenya Free Trade Agreement first unveiled by the Trump administration in July 2020. Secretary Blinken also emphasized the importance of U.S. investment in Kenya amid growing Chinese influence in the region, claiming, “When we work in partnership, when we make these investments, we do it in a way that does not overwhelm countries with debt, does not undermine the environment, [and] does not challenge the rights of workers.” 

Under the Trump administration, Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and Rex Tillerson only visited Africa once each during their respective tenures. Blinken, however, vowed that this trip would not be his last and said that he hoped that soon he would be able to physically travel to the continent. Blinken’s statements throughout his trip were emblematic of a drastic shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Africa. The Trump administration pursued a largely economic and bilateral agenda that left several smaller countries to fall by the wayside. The Biden administration has already demonstrated its willingness to work with smaller states, specifically through increased aid and investment. Defense has been a major source of deviation as well. In relation to instability in the Tigray region, Sudan, and the DRC, the Trump administration practiced its own form of social distancing, adopting arms-length diplomacy. In contrast, the Biden administration appointed seasoned diplomat Jeffery Feltman to head up the Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa on April 23, as the conflicts in Ethiopia and Somalia continue to worsen. 

Secretary Blinken has made it obvious that the new administration wants to take a more active role in the development, stability, and long-term prosperity of the African continent.